My Ishinryu Karate
All of One Heart award

4 December 2021

Tonight I got to attend the annual Ishinryu Karate Christmas party and awards night.  It’s always exciting to go to new places and see new people, and I don’t often go to ‘grown-ups’ parties, but there were lots of families and other children there – so that was really nice.

After a while, the music stopped and the lights went on, and people started making speeches and handing out prizes.  At the end there was one very special prize – and it had my name on it.

Ishinryu translates as ‘All of one Heart‘ and these Karate people have really taken me to their heart by deciding to adopt me as a focus for some of the charitable work they do.  The Henry Rice – All of one Heart award is presented to just one special person every year.  That person being an example of all that is best in Ishinryu Karate and a role model to others.  The award comes with a big wooden trophy with room for 11 names – so it will take the next 10 years before all the names are added.  Tonight was time to put the first name on that trophy.

The first Henry Rice – All of One Heart award was presented to the senior Ishinryu instructor in the UK – Sensei Lee Smith, 6th Dan.  I was supposed to present the Trophy – but in the end I was too shy, and I let Grandad do it instead.

I’m only 3-years old and much too young to train in an Ishinryu Dojo yet.  But Grandad has already bought me a Karate Gi, and as soon as I turn 5 or 6 I will be allowed to train with the other Little Dragons in the Woodlane Dojo.

Before the party, Grandad showed me the award trophy, which has room for 11 names.  He told me that he has a dream that one day my name will also be on that award, perhaps as the very last entry.  It’s nice to think that even very old people like Grandad have dreams too.